The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes

Lyndsay Faye is no stranger to the world of Sherlock Holmes. Having penned the popular Dust and Shadows in which the great consulting detective takes on the greatest criminal of his day, the notorious Jack the Ripper, Faye is now reintroducing Holmes to the world in the format that it is most familiar with, as an anthology of short stories.

In The Whole Art of Detection Faye presents her readers with fifteen newly uncovered cases in four sections. The first section, Before Baker Street, begins with The Case of Colonel Warburton's Madness, in which Watson describes events that occurred in San Francisco before he and Holmes met and Holmes offers his assessment of what actually happened. Other stories are told in a variety of formats show more including excerpts from Holmes’s notes on cases. This format is particularly interesting as it doesn’t have Watson’s innate kindness to soften the disdain that Holmes often feels for those who lack his mental prowess.

The section The Early Years is also interesting in that it gives readers an insight into Watson’s mental state after losing his best friend to Reichenbach Falls and his wife to disease only to learn that Holmes had been alive for three years and hadn’t bothered to let his trusted friend know. The remaining sections, The Return and The Later Years contain more traditional stories. In some, though, Faye takes pains to use the story’s plot to shed light on the quirkier aspects of Holmes’s personality. One of the most fascinating tales in Faye’s collection is The Adventure of the Memento Mori. In it, Holmes and Watson encounter a twisted doctor who shocks the detectives with the wanton brutality of his mental health treatments. The treatments that so offended them; ice baths, electricity, starvation, isolation, and mercury tablets, were commonly accepted treatments for mental illness until well into the twentieth century. Holmes’s reaction, though, was so extreme that readers might wonder if he had deep-seated issues of his on with regards to psychiatric treatment:

“The depths to which human depravity can sink will never cease to confound me. What are we to make of the species in light of this room? Where is progress? Where is logic? Where is reason itself when a savage smashing his comrade’s skull with a rock would be kinder treatment of the race? I ask you, what is the limit of our perversion? Hell is empty,” Holmes concluded under his breath. “And all the Devils are here.”

Only once in the entire collection was I disappointed by what I read and that is not in Faye’s portrayal of Holmes or Watson but in a matter of historical accuracy. in the first story "The Case of Colonel Warburton's Madness", Faye referred to “pitched fighting between the Texians - that is, the Anglo settlers - and the Tejanos”. As I understand it a Tejano, then as now, is a Hispanic resident of Texas. As Faye mentioned Sam Houston and the Battle of San Jacinto she had to be referring to was the Texas Revolution that was fought between the residents of Texas and a Mexican army led by Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna. At that time, there was no “pitched fighting between the Texians and the Tejanos”. The Texians and Tejanos were largely united in their efforts to resist the authority of a distant Mexican government. While some Tejanos sided with Mexico, most joined with the Texians and fought for their independence. Captain Juan Seguin and a company of Tejanos fought alongside Austin, Eight Tejanos fought and died defending the Alamo and three others were signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. In short, suggesting that the white and Hispanic settlers of Texas were at war with each other at this time does a disservice to both.

Simon Vance is an accomplished narrator and his stately British accent immediately reminds the reader of the older, stodgier portrayals of Dr. Watson. I may personally prefer the younger portrayals of Watson this is familiar, and therefore comforting territory.

Bottom Line: There have been many pastiches written about A. Conan Doyle’s marvelous detective duo but few really dig deep and make an effort to get to the heart of who Sherlock Holmes was and why he behaved the way he did. Lyndsay Faye a sincere effort to do so and has written many stories that would be a credit to John Watson’s portfolio. 4 ½ stars.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star - The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. show less

I have never especially been a fan of Sherlock Holmes, but I like Lyndsay Faye’s writing enough to want to read whatever she produces.

The author has apparently been writing these tales for a while about the characters of Sherlock Holmes and his collaborator and biographer John Watson, and they are collected in this volume along with two new stories. They illustrate a point Holmes makes to Watson when discussing a case:

“There are precious few crimes in this world, merely a hundred million variations upon a dozen or so themes.”

Most of the stories are told from the point of view of Dr. Watson, although a few appear as excerpts from Sherlock Holmes’ diary.

Throughout the book we get a growing sense of the skill of Sherlock Holmes and show more his amazing powers of observation and deduction. We also get increasing evidence of the the devotion each man has for the other. In fact, I thought the continuing unfolding of their relationship makes a better story than the recounting of crimes and how they got solved. I also enjoyed the difference between the ways in which Watson and Holmes thought about women. Watson tends to wax rhapsodic about them, while Holmes avers:

“I would as soon permanently tether myself to a wardrobe as a female…”

Faye is very adept at conjuring up the atmosphere and syntax of the times, and her turns of phrase are often breathtakingly adept, such as with this musing by Dr. Watson:

“The sea of melancholy in which I was floating had soaked me to the bone.”

Evaluation: This volume is bound to please fans of Sherlock Holmes. Lyndsay Faye is an excellent writer. show less

The Whole Art of Detection - Faye
Audio performance by Simon Vance
4.5 stars

I really can’t get enough of Sherlock Holmes. How nice of Lyndsay Faye to give me more Holmes and Watson stories to read. And how nice of Simon Vance to read them to me. These stories are very much true to the original Conan Doyle stories. This collection of stories also follows the pattern of Faye’s book length Dust and Shadows. Watson is more intelligent and a more active participant. Holmes is more human and humane.

There are enough differences from the original stories to give this collection a fresh stamp, but they still fall within the mold. Faye provides details and gives depth to the friendship between the partners, especially in two stories that deal show more with Holmes’ dramatic return from the dead. Several of the stories take on dear Sherlock’s alleged misogyny. There are at least 6 stories with women as either victim or villain. In three of the stories, Watson and Holmes aid and abet a female criminal to outwit abusive husbands and/or the unfair legal restrictions placed on Victorian women. Holmes seems to be taking a stand for women’s rights, at least in the areas personal finance and legal divorce. I always knew he was a good guy.

I enjoyed every story in this collection. None of the mysteries were terribly difficult to figure out. But I didn’t read them for the puzzles. It was just fun to visit with two of my favorite literary characters. show less

It is difficult for me to read any Holmes pastiche. Even the better ones fall upon my ear like the high school band assaying Souza. One recognizes the broad outlines, the various boxes checked off (Watsonian weather ruminations, obligatory deductive flourishes, etc), but somehow it just does not get there. I read this because friends urged it on me who had enjoyed Ms Faye's prior novel, which I have yet to read. One often gets the tantalizing impression here that if one could take bits and pieces of each of these short stories and excise the inevitable and probably unavoidable syntactic anachronisms one might reach the Promised Land of a paragraph or two which could not be distinguished from the "tincture Conan Doyle." This is not the show more fault of Ms Faye, whose dry wit, and love of these characters can be seen in every story in this book, but of the reader expecting more than could be given. She avoids many of the pitfalls into which have fallen so many previous pasticheurs (populating them with every notable figure of the Victorian and Edwardian eras foremost among them), but she was not born in the 1850's. Rex Stout was once asked his opinion of authors who it seems are now called, in a loathsome locution, "continuators." He replied, "I don't know whether to call them vampires or cannibals. Let them roll their own." I understand that Ms Faye is now rolling her own, and am pleased to hear it. It seems to me a less hazardous enterprise for a writer of her obvious felicity of expression, and talent, than the one evidenced by this book. show less

**I voluntarily read an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from Grove Atlantic via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**


I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was a little girl. I can remember the stormy afternoon I discovered the magic of Arthur Conan Doyle. It was Sunday and every Sunday we visited my uncle. He was a bachelor with no children, so most Sundays I spent the whole day playing outside because there was nothing at his house for kids to do. But this Sunday was horrible -- rain came down in sheets outside. No playing outdoors. So, I ventured upstairs to his library. For that entire afternoon, I lay across the bed in the guest room reading Sherlock Holmes stories. Instant love.

In my show more circle of family and friends, I'm the one who usually dislikes Hollywood remakes of classic movies, new covers of songs, any Disney movie with a 2 in the title, and tinkering with classic literature. I like my classics left alone, with very few exceptions. But, I am learning to expand my horizons and give revisits, retellings and remakes more of a chance instead of just shutting down before even attempting to engage. The above 3 Rs are not intrinsically evil. I need to relax and let my classic horizons expand sometimes. In the past few years, I've discovered many retellings and new stories starring classic characters that I like. I'm finding that loving books means learning that new authors tinkering with beloved classic characters sometimes has a wonderous, joyful outcome! But I do have to admit that while I now give revists to classic characters a better chance, I am still very picky. I can't help it. In this case, I was quite pleased and enjoyed my return visit to Baker Street.

The Whole Art of Detection is an homage to Sherlock Holmes written by a long-time big fan of Sherlock who also discovered the character as a young girl just like I did. I'm so glad that Lyndsay Faye wrote these stories!! I absolutely LOVED this book! I felt the same way about this book that I did when I first discovered Sherlock while draped over an old 4-poster bed in my uncle's drafty, old house on a rainy afternoon all those years ago.

The book is divided into several sections: Before Baker Street, The Early Years, The Return and The Later Years. Faye's stories encompass the entirety of Holmes' career from the time he was just learning to apply his detecting skills as a young man to the years following his faked death. Faye grabs the essence of the characters, the language, wit and humor of the original and runs with it!

For me, the most enjoyable thing was Faye's ability to capture the nature of the relationship of Sherlock and Dr. Watson. Those feelings of annoyance, frustration, yet strong love and friendship are essential to both characters.

The stories are all well-written, mostly true to the style of the originals and entertaining to read. It was so nice to read more exploits by one of my all-time favorite characters.

Any fan of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle will enjoy this book. I read an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for review, but have a finished copy on my pre-order list. It will go on my keeper bookshelf with my 2-volume set of the complete Sherlock Holmes. This book will release March 7th, 2017. Mystery and Holmes fans should definitely get a copy and enjoy the return to Baker Street!

Lyndsay Faye is the author of several other Holmes novels and the Timothy Wilde series. I plan to read them all! Definitely a fan! To discover more information about the author and her books, check out her website: www.lyndsayfaye.com show less

I doubt there will ever be an end to the demand for new Sherlock Holmes stories. After all, Arthur Conan Doyle tried to kill off Sherlock, yet public outcry brought him back despite The Great Hiatus–itself a source for new stories. There’s probably a Holmes-inspired collection released every month of the year. Only a few are successful. One of the most successful I have read recently is Lyndsay Faye’s fifteen new Holmes stories in The Whole Art of Detection.

Some might think it is easier to write a story with already developed characters and settings, but that is not true. There is the Sherlockian canon to deal with and the need to keep the characters in character, so to speak. Many make caricatures, their Holmes so frequently show more explaining his elementary deductions of every minor thing that he scarcely has time to detect. Some reject the canon and place Holmes in the present, the future. Holmes gets married, becomes a woman, has a gay relationship with Watson and jets off to Mars. It’s all very inventive, but it’s not Holmes. Faye, though, delivers.

The Whole Art of Detection is an outstanding collection of Holmes short stories. We have the real Holmes at different stages in his career. The book is in four sections: Before Baker Street, The Early Years, The Return, and The Later Years. The stories are dated, so you can see where the fall within the canon. One story is even told in within the time frame of The Hound of the Baskervilles, Holmes seeing Watson off with Lord Baskerville, clearing up a small mystery while preparing to go to the Hound, so to speak. Most of the narratives are Watson’s stories for The Strand or for future reference, though a few are dashed off by Holmes himself, notes for his diary written when Watson was away for one reason or another.

The stories are varied. Some of the mysteries are relatively minor in importance, though never to the people involved, while others involve murder and espionage. It is interesting to see stories from different times in the Holmes-Watson relationship and how that relationship evolved. Watson in the later years is far more acerbic, taking, as he says, “diminishing pleasure in asking questions that will go unanswered.” The book is full of clever quips and Holmes is ever ready with a dose of fond condescension.

The writing is excellent and it is enjoyable to note the contrast between Holmes more matter of fact prose and Watson’s more floridly descriptive writing. Even if there were no chapter titles to inform you of the author, it would quickly be obvious. In all, it’s quite a feat, fifteen stories that are original and new, yet sound as though they came right out of the canon. Plus, there is a bonus, an introduction to the inspiration for Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel. If you love Sherlock Holmes and enjoy new cases from new authors, you can’t go wrong with The Whole Art of Detection.

The Whole Art of Detection will be released March 5, 2017. I received an advance e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

★★★★
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/the-whole-art-of-detection... show less

This collection of Holmes & Watson stories is charming, entertaining, and fulfills my need for stories of this great literary duo. The book is divided into 4 parts. Before Baker Street has stories of the time before the two met each other but they are told in a style that shows the two men know each other now and are sharing these past adventures.

In The Early Years part, Watson and Holmes have their first cases together, still working out their professional relationship and building a friendship.

The Return shows us Watson’s anger and distress at over losing both Holmes to Reichenbach Falls and his beloved wife Mary to illness, yet to find out that Holmes was still alive is well done. I don’t believe I have ever seen Watson so hurt show more and angry, and rightly so!

Finally in The Later Years, these stories feel like the traditional Doyle stories where Watson and Holmes work well together, have a solid friendship, and can still irritate one another from time to time.

feel like the traditional Doyle stories where our heroes are master sleuths and get along well with each other’s peculiar quirks.

The Case of Colonel Warburton’s Madness – Watson is attempting to entertain Holmes with a tale of his past before he met him. Set in the Wild West, Watson describes some strange goings on with Colonel Warburton and how this upsets his doting daughter. I really enjoyed this tale as I would like to see some alternate history where Watson and Holmes spend years in the desert Southwest solving cases. 5/5

The Adventure of the Magical Menagerie – Holmes really does have a heart and it shows in this one. We can also see why he keeps it tucked away most times. Definitely an interesting way to hide your illegally gotten goods! It wasn’t my favorite but it was still good. 4/5

The Adventure of the Vintner’s Codex – This story really felt like a match for the original Doyle collection. Holmes can be a complete irritation to Watson and his way of ‘apologizing’ is to tell Watson a tale of stolen music. Parts were charming and heartfelt and a few times I chuckled. 4/5

The Adventure of the Honest Wife – I really enjoyed this one! Sure, Holmes sometimes goes on about the ‘weaker sex’ and yet he often tries to set aside his harsher self to help a lady out.. unless he thinks her faithless. Watson notes how Holmes has an aversion for the female gender entirely. There were some great twists in this one. 5/5

The Adventure of the Beggar’s Feast – This was also a favorite story of the batch. I have often wondered what it would be like if Holmes was a father figure for someone and this story helps to answer that. I love that he was a bit flustered when Watson figures out what he was doing. I can even picture Holmes blushing. 5/5

Memoranda Upon the Gaskell Blackmailing Dilemma – This is one of the tales told from Holmes’s point of view and I get such a chuckle out of his straight forward, honest, and yet often acerbic observations of people and their activities. While Watson is off dealing with the hounds on the moors of Baskerville, Holmes has to sort out a blackmailer. There were some surprises to this one. 5/5

The Lowther Park Mystery – OK, this one was just cute. It was fun but went by really fast. He’s been maneuvered into attending a social dinner party that’s brimming with important people. Watson gently teases him over his distaste of socializing. Engineering a charade, he uses that distraction to foil the plans of some nefarious people. This story also introduces Holmes’s brother Mycroft. The plot was a bit light on details. 4/5

An Empty House – Lestrade makes an appearance in this sad tale. It’s from Watson’s journal during the time shortly after his wife passed away. It’s a weighty piece, probably being the saddest story in the bunch. 4/5

The Adventure of the Memento Mori – This story showed the depths of the friendship between Watson and Holmes and also how hurt Watson was over Holmes’s presumed death. There’s acknowledgement, regret, and acceptance. Of course, there’s this deliciously creepy mystery going on as well. 5/5

Notes Regarding the Disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore – This was a quick and fun tale. I guessed early on what was going on but it was interesting to see Watson put it all together. I do believe that Holmes had guessed the truth of the matter early on but was letting Watson gather up evidence to support his supposition. 4/5

The Adventure of the Willow Basket – It’s interesting to see Holmes’s rationale for handing off credit for solving various mysteries to Lestrade. Not that Lestrade is stupid but sometimes he portrayed as heavy-handed or a bit bumbling. I liked Faye’s take on his character in this story. Leeches. Gotta watch out for those leeches! 4/5

The Adventure of the Lightless Maiden – The Victorian age was in love with the supernatural and it’s quite fun to see what Holmes and Watson make out of a case that apparently involves a ghost. I enjoyed the technical aspects to it. Photography was really coming into it’s own at this time as well. 4/5

The Adventure of the Thames Tunnel – For some reason, this one didn’t really stand out to me yet I don’t know why. Usually I enjoy tales that feature a shadowy organized criminal element, such as the Iron Hand in this story. There’s a jewel thief dead in the Thames Tunnel and our hero duo has only questions to get them started on the mystery. There’s revenge at the heart of the matter. It was fun but not one that stood out for me. 3/5

The Adventure of the Mad Baritone – This was an unexpected one. It was a bit twisted and I totally agreed with Holmes’s anger over how the homeless opera singer was treated and a distressed woman was tricked and cheated. Holmes and Watson were very decent in how they revealed the truth to the woman and also assisting the singer. 5/5

Notes Upon the Diadem Club Affair – Here we have the second story told from Holmes’s point of view, which I really enjoyed. In fact, I wish we had more stories from his point of view. Watson is always so polite and usually kind, so I enjoy these tales that shine a harsher light on all the participants. The mystery was OK but the story was pure fun. 5/5

This is a pretty good collection of Holmes & Watson stories. While there is no one central female character of note (though Mrs. Hudson puts in a few appearances), the female characters come from a variety of backgrounds and with varying degrees of intelligence. Even when I felt this or that character was rather gullible, they were still very human. The ladies weren’t merely filler or someone to be saved or assisted. Often they added to the mystery.

It was really great to see Watson’s medical expertise come into play more than once. Some authors give this skill set a mere nod or simply pass it on by. Not so here, thankfully! Watson worked hard for his medical knowledge. It should be put to use.

All together, I enjoyed this collection of stories more than I expected. This anthology provides depth to the beloved duo.

I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing.

The Narration: Simon Vance is absolutely lovely to listen to. I loved his clipped voice for Holmes and his warm, caring voice for Watson. He had a variety of accents and his female voices were mostly believable. He kept all the characters distinct and did a great job portraying the emotions of Watson and Holmes. show less